The Mechanic and The Detective
by Jay West
Summary: Arc's Bodyworks. Owned and operated by a simple mechanic. But is he as simple as he seems? Detective Xiao-Long has been hunting for an illegal street racer for weeks. One who's avoided capture every time. Who is it? And what is their connection to the lowly mechanic?


Detective Yang Xiao-Long of the Vale Police Department was having a difficult day. Her beloved motorbike was totaled. It was a routine investigation. She took her motorcycle with her to question a witness for an illegal street race that had happened a few days prior. However, she was not expecting the witness to run over the bike while fleeing. Once the witness was taken back to the station house, they were more than cooperative. And a little bit bruised. Her superior, Captain Weiss Schnee gave Yang a warning for assaulting another suspect, threatening to suspend her, should she do it again. The buxom blonde detective was pissed. Her former partner, Lieutenant Blake Belladonna told her to take the bike to a local mechanic. "He works for cheap. Trust me. He's the best at what he does," She told her. "Absolutely the best. I don't trust anyone else with my car." Blake sent a text to her fiancée, Sun Wukong, and requested that he pick up Yang and her motorcycle.

"He's the best mechanic. You remember the '77 Trans Am I bought a few years ago? If it wasn't for him, I couldn't have gotten it running." Sun was regaling Yang with the story of how his classic hotrod was repaired. "He's a miracle worker, I tell you. I don't know how he does it, but he's the best at it." They turned down a side road and were greeted by a modest auto shop with a small wooden sign that read the title of the business. "Here we are. I'll come in with you." They got out of his truck and walked into the entrance. "Hello! Welcome to Arc's Bodyworks! How may I- Oh. It's you. What did you do now, Sun?" Called an accented voice. "I resent that implication, Velvet. Where's Jaune at?" Sun replied with a smile as they walked closer to the desk where Velvet sat. "He's on his lunch break, but he's in the back." Velvet left and went into a back room. Yang took this time to inspect the building. The inside was very modest. Photos of a happy family hang on the wall underneath the name, Arc's Bodyworks. There was a glass window overlooking the garage area which was presently unoccupied. To her right, there was a waiting room with a coffee machine. The building was modest, and small. And yet to Yang it felt homely.

"He'll be here in a few. He's finishing as we speak," Velvet said as she returned from the back room. She glanced at the newcomer. "Hello, I'm Velvet Scarlatina, and Welcome to Arc's Bodyworks. How may we help you today?" The young brunette asked. "Hi. I'm Yang. My bike is totaled. Is there any way that the mechanic can take a look at it and see what he can do?" Velvet smiled. "Sure, we can do that. We've got a clear schedule for this evening, save for a pickup truck." Yang felt another presence enter the room. It was a blonde, dirty, and scraggly young man. Roughly in his mid-20s. Sun greeted him by grabbing him in a hug. "Sun, you're choking me" The rowdy blonde released his friend. "Jaune, this here is Detective Xiao-Long. She's an old friend of mine and Blake's." Jaune shook Yang's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Detective. Sun, we got the oil needed for the Trans Am. Had to overnight it from the west coast. Velvet will work that out for you." Sun nodded. "What can I help you with, Detective?" The mechanic asked her. "My motorcycle was run over this morning. Can you take a look at it and see if there's anything that you can do?"

The duo walked over to the back of the pickup truck. Jaune lowered the tailgate to survey the damage. After briefly surveying the damage, Jaune finally spoke. "Well, I can already tell you that it's going to be at least three weeks before I can get all the replacement parts needed. The frame is heavily damaged, so that'll be a week depending on whether I can repair it or I have to order a new one. The only thing that seems to still be in good condition are the tires." Yang nodded thoughtfully. "I see. How much will this cost? I can't afford much on the salary I've got." She said neutrally. Her pay had been docked recently due to her excessive use of force on suspects, so she'd definitely not be able to afford the repairs. "Well, I won't be able to tell you until I actually see what parts I need. It could be 800, it could be 1200 lien. I won't know until I can actually examine it in depth," Jaune responded. "Come on, I need to get the keys from Sun so I can put your bike in the back to work on. I won't be able to start today unfortunately, but I will tomorrow."

Jaune opened the front door of his establishment for the detective to walk through, after which he followed. "Hey Sun, I need your keys so I can move Detective Xiao-Long's bike to the garage." Sun followed the mechanic back outside to move his truck. "I can help you get started with the paperwork, Detective." Velvet spoke up. Yang walked over to the assistant. "I need your name, address, work, home and personal cell phone numbers, here." She stated as she handed Yang a form to fill out. "I'll also need a preferred form of payment, but that can wait until we have an idea of how much it's going to cost." Yang filled out the paper and handed it back to Velvet. She looked over and saw the two blondes outside lifting her former motorcycle and placing it on the ground in the garage. She returned her attention to Velvet and noticed a stack of business cards. One of which read 'Arc's Bodyworks, owned and operated by the Arc family. Once you take your vehicle here, you won't trust anyone else with your car!' in an orange lettering on a reddish brown background. Below that, it read the phone number for the establishment. Simple, but effective, Yang thought. "Do you like it?" Velvet asked. "I custom designed them myself." Yang nodded her approval. "Pretty nice."

Sun and Jaune returned from the outside of the building. "Well, I just came to drop the bike off and get my transmission fluid. You got everything ready to go, Yang?" Sun asked. The detective looked at Velvet who nodded. "Yep, I'm good to go." Jaune shook their hands and escorted them outside. "I'll call you and let you know when I can get an appraisal on the estimated price for your repairs." He said to Yang as she got in the passenger's side of the pickup truck. "Okay, I wrote my personal number down on the form. If I don't answer, leave me a message, and I'll get back to you when I can." Yang replied. Sun started the engine and backed out of the parking lot. Jaune waved them goodbye. "Well, what do you think of him?" Sun asked as they drove back to the police station. "Well, he seems like a decent fellow." Yang stated. Her phone vibrated. It was a text from an informant. 'Found location of street race tonight. Eleven PM at the corner of 21st St & Liberty St. Think it's the guy you've been looking for.' Yang quickly typed a response. 'I'll be there tonight. R there any open racing spots?' Yang awaited a response. 'Not 2nite but maybe next week's race.' Yang mentally cursed. "Are you sure Blake's not going to have a problem with me borrowing her car for a few weeks?" She asked the driver. "No, no. She's fine with it. She knows you need it, and it'll be easier than you buying a rental." He responded. They arrived at the station house. Sun handed her the keys to Blake's personal vehicle. Yang promised to take care of it, but first, she needed to get ready for a race.


End file.
